Travel Journal: Exotic Casablanca is my preferred spot

From some, accommodations at the Hyatt Regency Casablanca allow guests to see the King Hassan II mosque, one of the largest in the world.

Provided

Reading the new National Geographic book, "My Favorite Places On Earth," in which Jerry Camarillo Dunn, Jr. interviews people like Buzz Aldrin and Donald Trump about their preferred spots in the universe — Aldrin's is Tranquility Base on the Moon, and Trump's is Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach — I thought if I'd been asked, Casablanca would have come to mind. A mixture of East and West in Morocco, and perhaps most famous for the 1943 film with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca is fascinating.

During a trip last fall, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Casablanca — luxurious, comfortable and convenient — in the heart of the city, across the street from the Old Medina, a labyrinth of white buildings, narrow streets and bazaars. We strolled on the oceanfront Corniche to the King Hassan II mosque, one of the largest in the world, with room for 25,000 people inside and an 60,000 in an inner courtyard.

We patronized Rick's Café, themed to the film "Casablanca," on the Corniche, and went to the New Medina on Victor Hugo Boulevard to buy a rug as a souvenir. Other personal favorites included almond pastries, which we bought at the New Medina, and drinks made with local fruits at the Hyatt's Six P.M. Bar.